Archeologia e Calcolatori 18 - 2007

A project undertaken by the University of Padua has developed the new database system TESS for mosaics. This database system meets the national standards required by the Istituto Centrale per il Catalogo e la Documentazione – ICCD. The database is available on-line thanks to the project «Cultural heritage in the Adriatic area: knowledge, preservation and enhancement», co-financed by the Community Initiative INTERREG III A – Adriatic Cross Border Programme. In detail, the database TESS includes informative files regarding Building and Rooms, Location, relevant Bibliography and Mosaic Pavement. Each file contains plans, designs and photographs. Furthermore, all the fields have a list of univocal and exhaustive terms in the Italian language. The mosaics database aims to provide a key working tool for the identification of the origins of iconographic themes, their geographic distribution and the development of local fashions which vary according to the context. The software was developed on a FileMaker client/server environment to achieve these key goals: multiplatform availability (Windows/Macintosh), multiuser capability and remote connectivity. Making wide use of the latest tools included in FileMaker 8, the development group created a smart and complete GUI to access the complex data structure, and at the same time implemented a stringent control of user privileges by setting data-related group policies. The result is a powerful middleware application that allows data entry, analysis and publication to geographically distributed operators and will provide data consultation to other users through normal web browsers.

The Vasa Rubra project started a couple of years ago with the aim of cataloguing and studying all the terra sigillata wares found in the ancient Roman town of Iulia Concordia, now called Concordia Sagittaria (VE). The first step in this project was the creation of a database able to respond to requirements, which were both scientific and aimed at protecting the archaeological objects. The process of creating the database, entirely dedicated to archaeologists, represented an opportunity to reflect on the use of databases in archaeology and for analysing the interaction between computers and users. Even if it continues to maintain its original meaning of tool, without becoming the final aim of the research, this database has demonstrated its usefulness for collecting data about the terra sigillata of Concordia, and has improved and facilitated the scientific study which followed.

The paper presents the new relational database Pre-Biblio on the Prehistory and Quaternary geology of Italy. It will be mainly composed of two correlated databases, «sites» and «bibliography» and some others such as the biographies of the most important scholars, the taxa of fossil remains contained in the sites, the palaeobasins. Each bibliographic reference will be linked to sites, which will be georeferenced on the 1:25.000 topographic maps of the «SIGEC» GIS system of the Ministry of Culture. An accurate survey of Italian and foreign literature regarding archaeology, vertebrate palaeontology, geology and related sciences from Villafranchian to Early Iron Age has been conducted in the most important libraries of Italian Institutions specialized in Quaternary studies and Prehistory. An estimated total of about 25,000 sites, 60,000 references and 800,000 links represents the core of the project, which could be concluded in five years with a team of eight specialists. The paper also provides a preliminary appraisal of the chronological distribution of published sites covering the whole Italian territory, according to which the protohistory (Bronze and First Iron Ages) accounts for half of the estimated body of data.

The «Sistema Informativo Territoriale Archeologico di Parma» is a project promoted by the National Archaeological Museum of Parma in partnership with the «Centro di Geotecnologie» of the University of Siena, the municipality of Parma and the «Compagnia Generale di Ripreseaeree». The aim of the project was to create an archaeological resource management GIS, which would be useful both to archaeologists and to the municipality for city planning. The GIS was built with ESRI ArcInfo. The relational structure of its geo-database, managed with ArcCatalog, permits the use of a data model based on separate tables for the attributes of archaeological sites, associated archaeological investigations, and the data that constitutes the archive of the sites. The attribute tables are linked directly to spatial objects and base maps managed in ArcMap and provide the essential spatial search and query needed to manage the data effectively. The system is based on the 1:5.000 Regional Technical Map, that provides a spatial framework and information about roads, properties and administrative boundaries; it is integrated with aerial photographs and historical charts. This GIS consists of a spatial object that defines the location and/or boundaries of a broad range of data, from prehistoric sites to larger Roman and medieval structures. The associated attribute information for each of those sites is defined by the default thesauri, i.e. lists of preferred terms for describing types of archaeological sites. In the first step the study had concerned the old town centre of Parma; at this time the GIS holds nearly 400 archaeological sites and provides the main source of information about the archaeological excavations in the city. Some thematic maps of Parma have been created including a distribution map, chronological maps, an archaeological potential map. In the next phase the project will be extended to the whole municipal territory.

Archaeological scatters on the landscape present us with spatially patterned materials and features. Linking these spatial patterns to proximate aspects of scatter structure formation, and, ultimately, to understand the effect of land use systems in which landscape taphonomy occurred is one goal for landscape degradation analysis. While in the literature there has been a growing awareness of the pattern recognition problems posed by surface artifact distributions, due to the destruction or alteration of accompanying contextual information by landscape taphonomy processes, no substantive results have appeared in Iran. Analytical techniques for the description, classification and quantitative analysis of surface data remain poorly developed here and have often been incorrectly used and interpreted. The main concern of this paper is to investigate and interpret the effects of land use patterns on the distribution of surface artifacts. The discussion focuses on providing a quantitative model which constitutes an analytical framework integrating methods and theory. This project uses an example provided by the archaeological survey project undertaken at Garrangu River Basin from 1992 onwards in Northwestern Iran. As a case study, land use dynamics of an archaeological landscape were measured through the study period, and Markov Chain models were used to project observed changes of artifact distributional structures over a 50 year period.

Movement has played a significant role in archaeological analyses of territoriality in recent years. The incorporation of technologies such as GIS has reinforced that role, since they have made it possible to conduct detailed in-depth investigations of the natural constraints for movement. In this paper the authors describe a procedure developed to explore the relationship between networks of pathways, settlements and territory, following a “backward” perspective that tries to approach the processes of historical transformation of pathways. The proposal is applied to an area in Galicia (NW Iberian Peninsula), between the provinces of A Coruña and Pontevedra.

The article presents the results of the GPS and photographic surveys conducted on the archaeological site of Villa Magna (Anagni, Lazio). The archaeological complex, identified as the imperial residence of Antoninus Pius, occupies an area of about 22 hectares. Presently, the visible remains are divided into two principal nuclei: the northern one, near the church of S. Pietro, and the southern one, occupied by a farmhouse. The aim of the survey was the reconstruction of the morphology of the terrain in order to produce a Digital Terrain Model and to highlight the relationship between natural elements and ancient structures. In order to speed up the work, a new procedure was used. It consists of a Differential GPS used in a kinematic way by mounting the rover antenna on a jeep. In this article the experimental method’s advantages and the problems of acquisition are analysed. Moreover, low altitude photographs of the archaeological excavations were taken using an aerostatic balloon. The photographic system was anchored to the balloon with a radio-controlled device called Picavet. Georeferenced photos can be very useful not only for documenting but also for presenting and exploiting the site.

The paper describes the findings of a geo-electric study conducted at the archaeological site of Torraccia di Chiusi (Siena Province) with the use of soil resistivity modelling. In collaboration with the Département d’Archéologie et Histoire de l’Art (Université catholique de Louvain, Belgium) and the Centro di GeoTecnologie (Università degli Studi di Siena), a new, non-invasive instrument, named the OhmMapper, was used for the first time in an archaeological context to provide geophysical sections of the terrain. The aim of the study was to evaluate the nature and distribution of the buried anthropogenic structures and to properly locate them on the map without the necessity of excavating. The site, located in the valley of the Foci river, has been described as a long lasting settlement (III to VII centuries AD, although ceramics dating to the II century BC have been uncovered). The OhmMapper is a capacitively coupled resistivity meter that measures the electrical properties of rocks and soil without ground stakes used in traditional resistivity surveys. A simple coaxial-cable array with transmitter and receiver sections is pulled along the ground either by a single person or attached to an all-terrain vehicle. The dipole-dipole configuration enables the instrument to immediately pick up the horizontal variations in resistivity, thereby enabling the user to identify structures such as walls or cavities. With the OhmMapper, nine sections were made around the perimeter of the area already excavated to collect data on the presence, depth, and dimensions of anthropogenic structures. The results from the sections were refined and placed on a map using an ArcGIS platform. The interpretation of the nine sections resulted in a new hypothesis on the buried anthropogenic structures and a new model of the natural landscape that existed at the site prior to its construction.

The paper concerns the research activities of the IBAM-CNR and the IMAA-CNR in the field of archaeological remote sensing with the use of very high resolution images of QuickBird, the satellite with the greatest geometrical resolution available for civil use. These images have an enormous potential in the study of ancient urban and territorial contexts and for the identification and spatial characterization of archaeological sites, particularly when aerial photos and recent detailed maps are not available. During the archaeological research in Hierapolis of Phrygia (Turkey) and in southern Italy (Monte Irsi, Monte Serico, Jure Vetere and Metaponto), the examination and the study of panchromatic and multispectral images of QuickBird made it possible to detect surface anomalies and traces linked to ancient buried structures or to paleo-environmental elements; moreover, panchromatic images were georeferenced and used as the base field maps for the survey in Hierapolis, together with GPS systems. The satellite images were analysed both for the identification of archaeological features and for the characterisation of the contexts in which these elements were found. During field work, the traces and the anomalies identified in the images were constantly verified, so as to determine their actual relevance to archaeological elements, to interpret them and, where possible, to specify their chronology, thus avoiding misunderstandings and errors. The images were used in all phases of the research in combination with the aerial photographs and the available maps; they were also used for presentation of the results and were draped on DEM for the 3D visualization of the territories and of the archaeological features. In order to highlight particular archaeological traces and anomalies some image processing methodologies were adopted: multispectral processing and algorithms of data fusion (with the integration of the high spatial resolution of panchromatic images with the spectral capability of multispectral images), of enhancement (such as PCA, NDVI and TCT) and edge detection.

The most recent computer technologies of 3D geometrical modelling provide a great array of tools for archaeological investigation. This paper presents an application of the 3D laser scanner to study the metric and morphometric parameters of a Chalcolithic pottery vessel based on a 3D meshed triangular model. This model is referenced geometrically by high-precision fitting to the real object, enabling the study of some of the most important archaeological characteristics with great accuracy (texture, damage, profiles, etc.) as well as a reconstruction of those damaged parts. The computerized model has been used to study the metric and geometric parameters of the vessel, applying different statistical tests to analyse the width of vessel and the variability of some constructive parameters. These analyses allow us to compute any measurement, such as the surface area of vessel, the center of masses, the volume, and the regularly spaced contour levels of the interior and exterior. The results indicate the skill of the potters of the Copper Age and their knowledge of some elementary mathematical concepts of geometry and metric.

The paper deals with the results of the LandLab Project, aimed at the reconstruction of ancient landscapes. The use of the Internet for presenting the results of the scientific research is discussed through the presentation of two web applications, which have been implemented by the Laboratory of Archaeological Computing of the Dept. of Cultural Heritage - University of Lecce, Italy: the WebGIS of the pre-Roman settlements of the Salento region and WODOS, the on-line version of the ODOS excavation data management system. The web-based applications are aimed at developing new approaches to the problem of data preservation and data dissemination. They use the methods and technologies available in the field of Information and Communication Technology for the transfer of data, information management systems and multimedia communication in the reconstruction of ancient landscapes and cultural systems. The project is unique in the geographical context in question here, in that it represents the first thematic laboratory for research into the ancient landscape completely based on web programming and Internet technology.

This paper presents the preliminary results of the Project T.Arc.H.N.A., Towards Archaeological Heritage New Accessibility, partially funded by the European Union, as part of the Culture 2000 Programme. Tarchna is the Etruscan name of the ancient city of Tarquinia and T.Arc.H.N.A. is the name of a model of the virtual Museum. Thanks to the use of modern technology, combined with a deep knowledge of history and archaeology, it has been possible to create a tool useful for both scholars and the wider public, which is also available for other situations. Through the cooperation of experts from two different fields – Computer Science and Archaeology – an innovative system of accessibility to the Cultural Heritage in the field of research, education and dissemination has been designed and implemented. One of the first results of the project is the restoration in its entirety of the original Tarquinian Heritage, much of which is scattered all over the world, lacking in contexts and anthropological meanings. Scholars are thus enabled to deal with this Cultural Heritage as a whole and to bring the single document from the environment that produced it, to the environment of the modern user, thus filling the gap between the document and its interpretation. In this way the public can learn the main features of the Etruscan culture and understand the research of scholars.

This paper discusses the application of environment evaluation models, with regards to the Archaeological Component, in consideration of the rules in force for the protection and conservation of the archaeological heritage. The protection both of Cultural Heritage and of planning of infrastructures must follow the principles of «sustainable development». In the first part of the paper, the authors acknowledge the value of environmental and archaeological impact studies on the territory. These studies, which must be conducted in a preliminary phase, make it possible to acquire a more profound knowledge not only of places subject to archaeological risk, but also of the historical and environmental reconstruction that may be useful for carrying out a project. The second part of the essay tackles the methodological problem for the archaeological impact evaluation of a site; this can be developed with the following aims: a) to single out the historical periods of a territory, relevant from the archaeological point of view; b) to define the sensibility of a historical period; c) to define the level of risk. For the evaluation it is necessary to define a qualitative hierarchy of the different sensibility levels that the archaeological object can have. This hierarchy is based on the identification of the right pointers and relevant principles of interpretation. The last part of the paper is a synthesis of an applied study case, described after the explanation of the methodology of the archaeological impact evaluation. In this study case the “quali-quantitative” evaluation techniques are adopted.

The Soprintendenza per i Beni Archeologici di Ostia is the Italian government office charged with the preservation of the ancient Roman city of Ostia and its surroundings. Ostia has been the object of excavations since the Middle Ages and has yielded an enormous quantity of finds of all kinds. The Soprintendenza today undertakes mostly preventive excavations, especially in connection with public works. These result in vast quantities of finds that need to be housed in the office’s stores. Since 2004 the management of the stores has availed itself of the use of Radio-Frequency Identification (RFId), an automatic identification method relying on storing and remotely retrieving data using devices called RFId tags or transponders. An advanced automatic identification technology based on the RFId technology has two values for inventory systems. First, the visibility provided by this technology allows an accurate knowledge on the inventory level by eliminating the discrepancy between inventory record and physical inventory. Second, the RFId technology can prevent or reduce the sources of errors. Benefits of using RFId include the reduction of labour costs, the simplification of business processes and the reduction of inventory inaccuracies.

Introduction to the Giornata di studio sul tema “GIS e applicazioni informatiche alle ricerche archeologiche e storiche” (Roma, CNR, 5 luglio 2007).

The system used for organizing the data from the excavation at Hierapolis, a sample site for this research project, represents an example of the application of the methodology of GIS to a stratigraphically excavated site. The use of this methodology, based on the logical structuring of data in independent layers, makes it possible to reconstruct the micro-dynamics typical of a stratigraphic excavation. Once the archaeological layers are separated, divided and organized according to their geographic position, they are treated as a series of divisible and superimposable layers which can be used in order to create the floor plans of single monuments and, more generally, maps showing the different phases of the city. This type of data management makes it easier to understand the spatial organization and transformation of a city over time.

The paper deals with some of the results of the research activities of the IBAM-CNR in the project «Il Mediterraneo antico e medievale come luogo di incontro tra Oriente e Occidente, Nord e Sud», conducted as part of the activities of the Italian Archaeological Mission in Hierapolis of Phrygia (Turkey). During the archaeological surveys in 2004-2007 satellite images with high geometric, radiometric and spectral resolutions, that constituted important tools for the research in the city and in its territory, were used because vertical aerial photos and recent detailed maps were not available. During the surveys some computer applications were also developed, such as a system which is able to facilitate and accelerate the task of positioning and managing the archaeological finds, using a palm-top computer or a Tablet PC integrated with a GPS antenna and a software for archaeological navigation and management of survey records called Ulixes, which is still in the prototype phase. The purpose of the system is to enable the users to navigate employing maps which they have chosen, or, as in the case of Hierapolis, using high resolution satellite images. In the event of an archaeological discovery, it is possible to memorise its position and metadata consisting of a record in which the geographical coordinates and a detailed description of the type of discovery are inserted. Exemplificative of the applied methodologies is the study of the aqueducts which brought water to Hierapolis. During the surveys in the territory around the ancient city three main routes were identified, documented and positioned. For the study, the reconstruction and the visualization of these routes, DEMs were also used, on which high resolution satellite images and imported waypoints from the GPS receivers used in the field work were draped.

The ISCIMA-CNR has participated in the FIRB 2001 Project with research on “Trade dynamics in the ancient Mediterranean: the role of Etruria”. This title raises a number of diverse issues: continuity and discontinuity in trading circuits in the Mediterranean Basin; structure of production and movement of goods; study of the relationship between urban and rural areas involved in their production and consumption; role of the Etruscan ports in the dynamic of trade. In order to conduct a diachronic analysis on this subject, the Etruscan metropolis of Cerveteri has been proposed as a sample area. Since the 1980s, in fact, Cerveteri has been investigated by the CNR Institute through systematic surveys and excavations, resulting in a better understanding of the urban area and the surrounding territory. In particular, within the FIRB Project, the results of the research activity come from the analysis of settlement models, the production of ceramic typological lists, the application of innovative ICT methods to field archaeology, together with archaeoastronomical and spatial analysis techniques, the use of archaeometric research tools to analyse ceramic and metallic objects. The article also describes in detail an integrated approach to define the typology and study the spatial distribution of specific classes of ceramics (in particular the archaic pottery), which have been found during excavations in the central part of the urban plateau, in an area occupied by an open-air elliptical building.

The website Impero Romano e Intellettuali Greci presents a selection of texts by Greek authors from the first imperial age on the topic of the Roman Empire. Each of these texts is tagged to identify the most important issues concerning the empire of Rome. These tags provide electronic access to the most significant passages in which some of the most important Greek intellectuals living between the first and second centuries BC published and circulated their ideas about the Roman Empire. All of the passages are presented in the original Greek and are accompanied by an abstract in Italian in which the context and content of the passage are summarized. With the presentation of each passage the larger work from which it is cited is indicated, in addition to essential information regarding the dating of and the circumstances under which each work was composed.

As part of the FIRB 2001 Project, a computer research project on Roman merchants who worked in the Mediterranean area from the 3rd century BC to the 3rd century AD was commenced. Data about the single businessmen were gathered from inscriptions (first of all instrumentum domesticum) and literary sources (both Greek and Latin); data were processed in a relational database, which is briefly described here. This paper, by way of an example, considers merchants who lived during the Republic (over 250 people) and focuses on the economic and social aspects of their activity. Painted inscriptions (tituli picti) or graffiti on Roman amphorae, stamps on amphorae stoppers and marks on anchor stocks inform us of the names of many traders (most of all ingenui or freedmen) involved in the transport and sale of goods such as wine and olive oil. Other inscriptions (mainly epitaphs or religious dedications) refer to a lot of tabernarii who worked in Rome, in other towns of Roman Italy or the Provinces during the late 2nd and 1st centuries BC. Some data from literary sources are also available, mainly concerning important businessmen who operated in the whole Mediterranean basin.